Bicycle owners face a common dilemma in the storage of their bicycles. Some people who live in single-family dwellings store their bicycles in a garage, carport, or basement. Apartment dwellers and college students often transport their bicycles to their apartments or dorm rooms, where they are parked in a hallway, foyer, or bedroom. Regardless of their home type, bicycle owners have needed several feet of uninterrupted horizontal storage space to accommodate their bicycle. Storage needs are further complicated if multiple bicycles are to be stored.
In many instances, rather than simply leaning it on its kickstand, a bike owner would prefer to store his bicycle on wall-mounted hooks or a stand to prevent the bicycle from leaving mud or dirt on the floor and to prevent the handlebars from scuffing the walls. Traditional bicycle stands support the bicycle in a riding position—that is, in a generally horizontal orientation—that requires storage space at least the length of the bicycle. Mounting these types of stands to a wall typically requires the insertion of long bolts into wall studs to support the weight of the bicycle (as much as 30 pounds) and stand, which may be problematic for several reasons. First, the wall studs or joists may not be located in areas practical for the storage of the bicycle. Also, if the bicycle owner lives in an apartment, some other rental property, or dormitory, he may be prohibited from bolting items to the wall.
What is needed is a bicycle storage system that is free-standing and self-supporting without being secured to a wall, floor, ceiling, or other support surface. Also needed is a storage rack or system that orients a bicycle in a vertical orientation, so that less floor space is needed per bicycle. An additional need not currently met by the industry is modularity of a storage rack or system, meaning that the rack is readily and quickly adaptable to the storage of multiple bicycles in different arrangements to accommodate various room layouts and storage requirements.